Waste management

• What is biodiversity?

  Variety of life on Earth.
• Why is high biodiversity important?

  Makes sure that ecosystems are stable as interdependence can be carried out
• Why is our population rising?

  Medicine and faming methods
• What are the effects of the rising population?

  Increased demand on resources.
• What are the human effects on water?

  • Sewage and toxic chemicals from industry pollute lakes, rivers and oceans
  • Chemicals (pesticides, fertilisers, herbicides) used on land can be washed into water
• What are the human effects on land?

  • Toxic chemicals in farming
  • Burying nuclear waste underground
  • Household waste in landfill sites
• What are human effects in the air?

  • Smoke and acidic gases released in the atmosphere can pollute the air, e.g. sulfur dioxide can cause acid rain
• What is global warming?

  Global warming refers to the long-term increase in Earth's average temperature due to the accumulation of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.
• How do greenhouse gases increase the Earth's temperature?

  Gases in the atmosphere act like an insulating layer and absorb most of the energy that would be radiated out into space, back to the Earth
• What are the main greenhouse gases?

  • Carbon dioxide
  • Methane
• What are the effects of global warming?

  • Sea levels rise
  • Changes in species distribution
  • Changes in migration patterns
  • Reduction in biodiversity
  • Different weather/rain patters
• Why is land used?

  • Building
  • Farming
  • Dumping waste
• What are peat bogs?

  Area of lands that are acidic and waterlogged
• How are peat bogs formed?

  Plants that don't fully decay in bogs due to lack of oxygen build up to form peat
• What are the effects of destroying peat bogs?

  • Carbon released
  • Destroys habitats
  • Reduces biodiversity
• What is deforestation?

  Chopping down trees
• What are the effects of deforestation?

  • Less carbon dioxide is taken in
  • More carbon dioxide is released
  • Less biodiversity
• What programmes protect ecosystems and biodiversity?

  • Breeding programmes
  • Habitat protection
  • Preventing global warming
  • Reducing waste